Healthy Pad Thai Recipe – Mast Cell 360 (2024)

One of my favorite things to order for takeout from a Thai restaurant used to be chicken pad Thai or a vegetable pad Thai.

I love this noodle dish for its rich silkiness, fresh herbs and veggies, and soft noodles.

So, I wanted to make a healthy pad Thai recipe I could make at home that would fit the low histamine diet.

And I wanted it to be as tasty as the restaurant’s pad Thai.

I’m always looking for ways to recreate some of my favorite dishes.

I know if you have Histamine Intolerance or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), you may be looking for new ways to eat low histamine foods, too. And you don’t want to be short on taste!

You’ll learn about some of the low histamine recipe swaps used in this recipe. You’ll be able to use these swaps to adapt some of your own favorite dishes, too!

You can also make this Pad Thai with chicken or leave it out for a vegetarian dish.

Chicken is one of my favorite protein options. To make things really easy, I like to use this Instant Pot Low Histamine Chicken Recipe to cook frozen chicken for the lowest histamine option. And then freeze the leftovers to add to meals like this!

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can use this oven roast chicken recipe.

This Pad Thai recipe is:

• Low Histamine
• Low Oxalate or Medium Oxalate
• Low Lectin

And it has options for:

• Low Salicylate
• Low FODMAP

Keep reading because you’ll want to know about 2 new ingredients I’m using in this recipe. Miracle Noodles and Baru Nuts.

Chicken and Vegetable Pad Thai Recipe Swaps

Eating low histamine can do a lot to relieve your reactions if you have Histamine Intolerance or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

But you still want to keep as much variety in your diet as possible. A wide range of nutrients is important for getting your health back.

I always encourage you to think about replacing foods rather than eliminating them.

Keep reading to see some of the swaps I used to modify this chicken and veggie pad Thai recipe.

You can think about these swaps when you think about making your own favorite recipes low histamine.

Before you change your diet on your own, please make sure you’re working with a healthcare practitioner who can help you with this. Never limit foods unnecessarily, and always have a licensed medical provider who is supervising your case.

Miracle Noodles (Konnyaku Flour Noodles)

Let’s start with the main ingredient in this chicken and vegetable pad Thai recipe. Pad Thai noodles.

Pad Thai is usually made with rice noodles.

Rice noodles may be ok for you if you only have Histamine Intolerance.

But if you have Lectin Intolerance or Oxalate Intolerance, rice and rice-based products may cause reactions. It really depends on your case.

If you do opt for rice noodles, know this. White rice noodles are lower lectin and much lower oxalate than brown rice noodles. So, if you can tolerate some lectins in moderation, this may be an option for you.

But if you can’t do rice noodles, I’ve got an option for you.

And it isn’t zucchini noodles! (Which, by the way, are also lectins.)

So, what do you do when you want one of your favorite comfort noodle dishes?

I’ve been experimenting with Miracle Noodles.

Miracle Noodles are made of konnyaku flour (pronounced cone yah coo). You’ll also see this called konjac or konjaku.

Konnyaku flour comes from the tuber part of an Eastern and Southeastern Asian plant of the same name.

You may also see these called shirataki noodles.

Miracle Noodles don’t have much flavor on their own. That makes them a neutral base for a lot of different noodle dishes.

In this recipe, you’ll be getting plenty of taste from a delicious pad Thai sauce and flavorful herbs, though.

And the Miracle Noodles are a good, low carb source of a dietary fiber called glucomannan.

This type of fiber can act as a prebiotic. That means it helps feed your gut’s healthy bacteria. These healthy bacteria have been shown to help strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation.

And research has shown that glucomannan can bind some mycotoxins.

It’s not known for certain if the noodle forms work, but it may.

TIP: Miracle Noodles are one of the few packaged foods you can consider keeping as a pantry staple. I’ve done well with it. So have some of my clients who’ve tried them.

Keeping Pantry Staples

For pre-packaged food, Miracle Noodles are pretty clean. So, if you like to keep a stocked pantry, you might consider adding these to your shopping list.

If you tolerate them, you can stock up as part of your low histamine disaster preparedness.

The brand I use, Organic Shirataki Miracle Noodle, has only 3 ingredients:

• Water
• Konnyaku flour
• Calcium hydroxide

Calcium hydroxideis just a mineral solution. This is food grade and generally tolerated.

It’s what indigenous people of the Americas used on corn to make it more digestible. And it helped make the nutrients more easily absorbed in the body.

Here, it’s been added to the konnyaku flour to form the noodle.

But if you are still very sensitive or haven’t tried these noodles before, you might want to consider trying just a bite to see how you do.

I will tell you, though, that a good number of people in our community have let me know that they do ok with these noodles. And I’ve done well with them, too.

I’ve used the spaghetti style Miracle Noodle for this recipe. It isn’t an exact match for the traditional rice noodle used in chicken and veggie pad Thai. But it’s very satisfying.

A Note About Preparing Miracle Noodles

Here are two more things to know about Miracle Noodles.

The first is that some people don’t like the smell when the package is first opened. But others don’t smell anything unless they put their nose right up to the bag.

Either way, don’t worry! They haven’t gone bad. And that smell will go away.

You’ll want to rinse the noodles for about 1 minute. If you have an under sink water filter like the AquaTru Reverse Osmosis System, I’d suggest rinsing with purified water. That’s because noodles are absorbent.

If you don’t have an under sink purification system, you can swish the noodles around in a bowl of purified water. Just drain the water and change it 2 or 3 times.

The second thing to know about Miracle Noodles is that they don’t freeze well. If you are planning on preparing a double batch of this Pad Thai to freeze and reheat thru the week, cook the noodles separately each time.

Healthy Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients

The sauce ingredients in a traditional veggie or chicken pad Thai recipe are mouthwatering. Unfortunately, many are high histamine.

Recipes can call for several tablespoons of fish sauce or several tablespoons of soy sauce.

They can also call for rice vinegar and brown sugar.

And one of the standout flavors is peanut butter.

All are high histamine. And peanut butter isn’t good for those with Oxalate Intolerance or Lectin Intolerance.

But here’s what’s going to add flavor to this low histamine chicken and vegetable pad Thai recipe.

Baru Nuts

Baru or baruka nuts come from the baru tree. And they aren’t nuts at all. They are the seeds from the fruit of the baru tree.

They are longer than many nuts you may be familiar with. And they are skinny with similar coloring to a coffee bean.

They are described as tasting like a mix of cashews and peanuts. That’s why they make a great replacement for the peanuts and peanut butter used in restaurant pad Thai.

Baru nuts are low histamine, low lectin, and medium oxalate.

And they are a good source of:

• Plant based protein
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Omega 3s

Baruka nuts even make a delicious dessert: Low Histamine Baruka Nut Vanilla Mousse Recipe

Toasted Sesame Oil

Toasted sesame oil is my go-to swap for getting those deep, rich, bold flavors that ingredients like fish sauce and soy sauce have.

I use this so much that I consider it a pantry staple. And you’ll definitely make good use of it if you are making other recipes you find here on the Mast Cell 360 blog.

You’ll also get bold flavors and a little zing and spice from fresh grated ginger and minced garlic cloves. (Both of which have anti-inflammatory properties, by the way!)

Fresh Lime Juice

Vinegar brings tang and acidity to a dish.

But vinegar and vinegar foods like pickles are high histamine.

Citrus fruit juice can add acid and tang in place of vinegar.

However, citrus fruits can also be high histamine or histamine liberating. That’s why I’ve listed this ingredient as optional.

Now, you may be wondering, why list it at all if it’s high histamine?

Great question. I want to share this with you because you might be in a place where you are struggling, just like I was.

Even at my sickest I could tolerate a little bit of lemon or lime juice. But I was never able to tolerate vinegar or vinegar-y foods.

Now, I know not everyone can tolerate even just a squeeze of lemon or lime.

Try just a tiny bit if you aren’t sure.

The reason I even tried to see if I could tolerate some citrus was because it was a mental win for me.

I was already so limited in my choices. Especially drink choices. No alcohol. No soda. No coffee (this was before I knew about low histamine coffee like the ones from Purity Coffee).

Getting a little flavor boost from a squeeze of lime in my water did a lot to help my morale.When you are dealing with chronic illness like MCAS, sometimes these little victories make all the difference.

It’s the same with recipes.

Lime juice isn’t 100% necessary for this recipe. Your tastebuds will still be satisfied even without it. But these swaps aren’t just about this exact recipe.

I want to empower you with information you can use in your meal prep beyond this recipe.

Depending on where you are with your health and what your own particular intolerances are, lime juice may be an option to use in place of vinegar.

Stevia or Monk Fruit Powder

Some vegetable pad Thai recipes call for brown sugar.

But any food that raises your blood sugar levels will raise histamine levels.

That’s why you’ll see on the Mast Cell 360 Foods List that even honey and maple syrup are listed under high histamine foods to avoid.

But sweet is a major taste profile. And even in savory dishes, a little bit of sweetness can bring out the other more dominant flavors of the recipe.

I use stevia. A little goes a long way.

Make sure to choose one that is pure stevia and not a blend of stevia and something else.

Some have vague ingredients like natural flavors (which, by the way, aren’t always as natural as the name would have you believe!).

Other Chicken and Vegetable Pad Thai Recipe Swaps

You’ll probably find that no 2 pad Thai recipes are the same. Everyone has their own take on what is included.

But here are a couple other swaps based on some of the more common ingredients you’ll find in healthy pad Thai.

Cabbage

Some pad Thai recipes call for full cups of bean sprouts. And they might even use bean sprouts to top the noodles before serving, too.

Bean sprouts are low histamine. But they do fall into the lectin category.

When I addressed my Lectin Intolerance, I saw huge improvements in my joint and muscle pain.

If you’ve been doing a low histamine diet and are still struggling with symptoms, you might consider looking to see if you have other food intolerances as well.

And just remember, at some point, you will want to add some of these foods back into your diet in moderation.

That’s why it’s so important to work with a provider.

You want someone who can help you make sure you are getting the nutrition and variety you need from your food. This is especially important if you have food intolerances and are making big changes to your diet.

I used purple cabbage in place of bean sprouts. If you heat up cabbage, you’ll still get some chew, just like with a bean sprout. And it adds some freshness to the dish. Not to mention, you’re sneaking in some extra veggies!

And since some recipes call for red bell peppers, too, purple cabbage adds the color you’d lose by omitting the red bell peppers (also a lectin.)

Red bell peppers do add a certain bitter-sweetness. But cabbage has a pepperiness and sharpness, also. And when cabbage cooks, sweet notes can come out, too.

I hope these low histamine recipe swaps help you and your whole family toward better health. And I hope it’s a tasty journey getting there!

Enjoy this culinary creation inspired by the popular noodle dish from Thailand. It’s delish!

But first, here’s how to make this recipe Low Salicylate and/or Low FODMAP.

To Make This Recipe Lower Oxalate

1. Shred and boil carrots ahead of time

2. Discard cooking water

3. Add carrots at the end of the recipe

To Make This Recipe Low Salicylate

1. Use ghee or rice bran oil in place of sesame oil and olive oil

2. Replace broccoli with cauliflower

3. Omit Thai basil

4. Replace baru nuts with roasted pecans

5. Replace stevia with ½ teaspoon maple syrup

To Make This Recipe Low FODMAP

1. Increase green onions to 4 total and use the green parts only (avoid the whites)

2. Omit garlic and instead drizzle garlic infused extra virgin olive oil on top

3. If you aren’t able to do Miracle Noodles, sub rice noodles

Pair Healthy Pad Thai With

• Low Histamine Chinese Broccoli – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, Low FODMAP
• Warming Chicken Ginger Soup – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, Low FODMAP
• Iced Hibiscus Tea – Low Lectin & Low Oxalate

Will you try this healthy pad Thai recipe? Tell me in the comments below!

More Low Histamine Recipes Inspired by Asian Flavors

• Spring Roll Stir Fry– Low Salicylate, Low FODMAP, Low Lectin, & Low Oxalate
• Asian Ginger Chicken Salad– Low Oxalate & Low Lectin
• Chinese Gai Lan Broccolini – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, & Low FODMAP

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References

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